by Bisheba Gaines

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 18, 2008

There are tons of carpet cleaning methods to choose from in this day and time. Some choose to hire a professional or decide to go with the do- it- yourself decision.

Here are a few choices to consider when choosing a professional:

* a professional carpet cleaner knows his job
* time and trouble will be saved
* the professional is educated on the different types of fiber and fabric

* the professional knows the right products to use for a particular stain
* the price may not be much, compared to what your mistakes may cost you

On the other hand, by doing it on your own, you may:

* save yourself the stress of finding the right professional
* be able to satisfy your own standards
* take as much time as you need on your carpet
* be able to clean underneath your furniture as you go
* be able to buy higher quality cleaning products, than the profession use

Some carpet cleaning equipment options are:

* A Hoover carpet steam cleaner
* A carpet cleaning steam vacuum
* A Bissell carpet steam cleaner
* portable and truck-mounted units
Some carpet cleaning methods are:

* Hot water extraction or "steam" cleaning
* Shampoo
* a combination of hot water extraction and shampoo
* foams
* Bonnet cleaning
* absorbent dry compound
* in-plant cleaning

Hot water extraction or "steam" cleaning equipment is used to spray heated detergent solution into the carpet at high velocity. Brushes within the machine are used to scrub away dirt and stains.

Shampoo- In this method, detergent is released onto the carpet through openings in a rotary brush, whose rotary action converts the solution into a foam and works it into the carpet. Once the shampoo dries into the carpet, vacuuming removes the loose dirt.

Combination of hot water steam extraction and shampoo as the name implies, uses the hot water and the shampoo methods in one cleaning. This method is highly effective for cleaning heavily soiled carpets and rugs.
There are two steps in this process:

* Shampoo, using rotary brushes to loosen soil
* Hot water extraction using water instead of detergent to remove the shampoo

Foams are a variation of shampoo. It is generally applied onto the carpet, from an aerosol container,and rubbed in with a dry sponge. Once the carpet is dry simply vacuum the residue away.

Bonnet cleaning is another method similar to shampoo. Bonnet cleaning consists of an absorbent pad (bonnet) attached to the bottom of a rotary machine. Detergent solution is sprayed onto the carpet and the pad(bonnet) is used to scrub away soil and dirt.

Absorbent Dry Compound is a powder containing detergent, that is sprinkled onto the carpet and worked in to make the soil encapsulated into the absorbent dry compound, and are removed by vacuum.

In-Plant Cleaning is ideal for cleaning loose or valuable rugs. The rugs are sent through a duster which removes soil more effectively than routine vacuuming. They are then washed and hung to dry in a controlled air environment.

Learn more about this author, Bisheba Gaines.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.